Wagon.



N0.-67|,64; Patented Apr. 2, mol. c. A. BABB.

WAGON.

(Application med Jan. 23. i901.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

*, jf 0a? NITED STATES PATENT OFFICEe CHARLES A. BABB, OF MEADVILLE, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO lOF SAME PLACE.

WAGON.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 671,364, dated April 2, 1901.

Application filed January 23, 1901. Serial No. 44,454. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES A. BABB, a citizen of the United States, residing at Meadville, in the county of Linn and State of Missouri, have invented new and useful Improvements in Wagons, of which the following is a specification.

This invention `relates to wagons, it being in the nature of a combination-vehicle, as by io slight and quick changes it can be made into, first, an ordinary farm-wagon for hauling grain, lumber, and many other articles which may be transported in a wagon of the ordinary kind; second, a stock-wagon for hauling hogs, sheep, poultry, tc.; third, into a hay Wagon or rack, and, finally, into a wagon peculiarly adapted for carrying corn-fodder, and the wagon is equally strong without being unduly heavy in its several dierent ad 2o justments.

The improved wagon includes in its construction a'wagon-box having apertures in its opposite sides, cross-bars removably fitted in said apertures, and side members detachably connected to the cross bars. When these cross-bars are in horizontal position and are disposed transversely of the box and when the side members are sustained upon the outer ends of the cross-bars, a hay rack or 3o wagon is formed, and I prefer in this construction to employ ladders or uprights of usual type at the opposite ends of the rack. The side members just alluded to are preferably made up of a plurality of body-pieces 3 5 united by longitudinal slats or strips running the entire length of the wagon-box, and said body-pieces having extensions or legs, which when the wagon is to be used for hauling stock are fitted into the grooves or guideways 4o in the box. I place in the wagon when it is being used to haul live stock a plurality of gates,certain of which removably enter guides in the upright slatted side members, one of these gates being at the middle of the wagon,

so that the stock-carrying portion thereof can be separated into compartments and different kinds of animals carried without possibility of the same quarreling among themselves, the middle gate also materially strengthening the 5o wagon. `By removing all the detachable parts the box can be used as an ordinary farm-wagon, and I prefer to make the box imperforate, as the absence of holes prevents the escape of grain when the same is being hauled either in bulk or bag.

The invention is not limited to the construction just briefly outlined, for certain features may be materially modified within the scope of the accompanying claims, and it is represented in one simplerand convenient em- 6o bodiment thereof in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a plan view of the wagon with the parts arranged to form a hay-rack. Fig.

2 is a longitudinal centralsection of the same. 65 Fig. 3 is a plan view of the wagon in the form of a stock-rack with the several gates in position. Fig. l is a plan viewof one of the side members in the position it occupies when forming part of the hay-rack. Fig. 5 is an 7o elevation of one of the cross-bars or standards. Fig. 6 is a plan View of the wagon-box with the several parts detached therefrom. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the rear ladder. Fig. 8 is a transverse section of the wagon ar- 75 ranged for carrying hay or the like. Fig. 9 is a similar view with the parts in position to haul stock. Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a post. Figs. 11 and I2 are elevations of two bolts. So

Like characters designate like parts in all the figures of the drawings.

The improved wagon includes in its construction a box or body, as 12, which may be oflany suitable size and made from materials usually employed in this class of work. I have not deemed it necessary to indicate the manner of mounting the box on the runninggear, for this may be as usual. The sides, front, and bottom of the box 12 I prefer to 9o make imperforate, as where holes are present they aord a means of escape of loose grain or grain in bags that is being hauled.

I will rst describe the wagon with its parts arrangedfor carrying hay or analogous material.

The wagon-box has interiorly thereof, on its opposite sides, vertically-disposed strips, as 13. These strips are arranged in pairs and are suitably secured to the inner faces of the roo ends of the box.

Wagon-box sides, Iand they form gu-ides `or grooves, `as 14, 'to receive certain of 'the vdetachable parts. There are four pairs of strips on each side, and the respective pairs are in alinement transversely of the Wagon-box.

The upper ends of Athese strips are substan-- tially Hush With the upper edges of the sides, and the sides of the box have apertures or notches 14 to receive the cross-bars or standards 15, of any desired number, though four? are shown, the notches being of such a depth that the upper faces of the standards will be substantially flush `With the upper edges ofy the sides. The cross-bars have their opposite ends squared or shouldered to fit snugly against the inner faces of the sides, and they further have arms, as 17, projectingoutward and at aslight slant upward from theWagonbox, said arms Vserving to sustain the sid-e5 Said side members are of substantially duplicate construction, and they include a pluralityiof approximately equidisi tantly spaced =body members or pieces, as 19, 'f

members 18.

resting on the arms l17 and united ybythe slats or boards. These body members 19 have legs or extensions 21, the innerends of which are posed leg :of `the other body member. upper sides of the standards are angularly formed under faces of the side memfbers 18,

the latter being detachably but rigidly h'eld t in place by bolts, as 23, havingspring-pinsat their lower ends. By removingthe pins Athe 'bolts can be `take-n from their holes, vand 'by lsliding the side members 18 outwardlya very 'short distance or until the extensions 21lare clear of the loops 22 the side members ican be 1 lifted clearof the standards.

as 26, said feet Ahaving redluced portions, asv27, fitted in grooves, as 28, near Ithe'oppo's'ite Thefgrooves justmen tion'ed are formed by the inner ones of the end ypairs o'fstrips 13 and `adjacent srt-rips, as 29. The ladders have near their feet the projections 30, adjacent to'and under the front'fand 1rear -standards or cross-'bars 15, so that W'hen the parts are assembled to form a hay-Wagon said standards Willprevent the ladders from being pulled from place. The load Yof hay is held of holesl3l,'and it is connected 4by a chain or equivalent'device, as 31, with -therear ladder.

By lifting the ladders 24 and 25 out of the wagon, then separating the side members 18 from their supporting-standards by removing the bolts 23, the standards -mfay be raised and the Wagon be left in the condition shown in Fig. 6, when it can be used as an ordinary farm-Wagon for hauling grain, lumber, &c. The rlegs 21 can then be introduced into the guides or grooves 14 until the beveled ends 32 of the body-pieces strike the similarlyshaped upperends 33 of thefstrips 13, the side members 18 then forming the sides of the vstock-rack. When Lthe sides are thus mounted, they are vertically disposed, and they are held firmly in position 'by the fbo-l'ts'23, which, it Wil-l -be remembered,.are-employed for holding the standards or lcross-'bars 15 iin Ipl'ace when lthe Wagon is 1used for carrying hay.

Thewag'on when used for 'carrying s'tock has frontand rear gates, as 35, verticall y slidable in guide-grooves, as 36, in A'the inner (at `tlrisitim'e) sides ofthes-idemembers 18. These guide-vgreoves are conveniently formed by suitably-arranged strips 3-7, secured to the 'body members 19. Theadditionof the gates between the -slatted sides forms a sing-le large compartment. y

gllt =is lsometimes necessary Ito separate the stock, and Afor this purpose -l 'provide 'a central-gate, fas 38, 'slidablein-guide-grodves 39 in the side zmem-bers 11S-'and Wagon-box, respectively, t'hese grooves, -ikec'ertailn others, being 1 formed Eby adjacent 'strips vertically disposed shaped'to snugly receive the correspondinglyfBycoverifng one o'r fbothof the compartments poultry may be safely carried.

To firrtherstrengthen the rack portion of l lthe Wagon, l may use the tie-bolts 40, having When using the vehicle as a hay-Wagon, I provide ladders or uprightslat the front and rear of the Wagon 'to confine Ethe hayat these places, the ladders being denoted, respectively, by 24 and 25 and hav-ing Vfeet or'bases,

the usual fsp'rin'g-'pinsysaid bolts extending crossW-iseef the Wagon and ipassi-ng through the slotted `side members 18 thereof.

By separatingall the-removable parts from -lthesvagor11-box 12fand 4inserting fthe outer ends of 'the posts 50 inthe end `grooves 14 I pro- Vide -'a Wagon Aespeciallyadapted Vfor xcarrying corn-'fodder or lumb'er. The box 12fcan be loaded with 'the stalks or Wood lengthwise thereofuntiil the Wagonis illed,-a`fter which the staliks orwoed can be placed crosswiseof theWagOn, `the 'upright ipostsprevenfting them from `irolil-iin'g pff.

The Wagon `is :not ronlyfstrong andli'ght, but it 'may be read-ily changed from Ao'ne of its 'characters to another lbylone man iin a short space fof time, this operation vWith existing types-of vehicles Aof this kind requiring the The superIi-'uous kparts'when not lin use can IOO IIO

be carried in the wagon-box and the Wagon can be changed in a very short space of time to any one of its uses.

Having described the invention, what I claim isl. In a Wagon, a box having guides in its sides, and notches in said sides alined with the guides, cross-bars removably fitted in said notches, and side members detachably connected to the cross-bars, having legs adapted to be fitted into said guides when the crossbars are removed.

2. In a Wagon, a box having guides in its sides, said sides having notches alined with the guides, cross-bars removably fitted in said notches having squared ends fitted against the inner face of the sides of the box, and side members detachably connected to the crossbars, having legs adapted to be received by said guides When the cross-bars are removed.

3. In a Wagon, a box having guides on its sides and notches in said sides, cross-bars removably fitted in said notches, side members detachably connected to the cross-bars, having legs adapted to be fitted into said guides when the cross-bars are removed, and front and rear ladders held in place by the adjacent cross-bars.

4. In a Wagon, a box having guides on its sidesand notches in said sides, cross-bars removably fitted in said notches, side members detachably connected to the cross-bars, having legs adapted to be fitted into said guides When the cross-bars are removed, and front and rear ladders having projections to engage under adjacent cross-bars, one of the ladders having a series of holes and a pin to enter one of said holes.

5. In a wagon, a box having guides in its opposite sides and notches alined with said guides,crossbars detachabl y received by said notches, side members having legs to fit into said guides When the cross-bars are removed therefrom, and loops upon the cross-bars to receive said legs.

6. In a Wagon a box having strips arranged vertically in parallelism on its opposite sides to form guide-grooves, said sides also having notches, standards or cross-bars to fit vin said notches, side members having legs to ft in said guide-grooves; and means for detachably securing the side members to said stand# ards or cross-bars.

7. In a Wagon a box having strips arranged vertically in parallelism on its opposite sides to form guide-grooves, said sides also having notches; standards or cross-bars to tit in said notches, side members having legs to fit in said guide-grooves; means for detachably securing the side members to said standards or cross-bars, additional strips on the sides to coperate With said other strips to form ladder-receiving grooves, and ladders fitted in said last-mentioned grooves, and held in place by adjacent cross-bars.

8. In a Wagon, a box having notches in its sides A and strips secu red to said sides, arranged to form guides, the strips being beveled at their upper ends, cross-bars adapted to removably tit in said notches, and side members having body-pieces beveled to correspond With said strips, said bodypieces having legs to enter said guides.

9. In a Wagon, a box having guides on its sides, cross-bars or standards removably supported by said sides, and slotted side members removably supported bysaid cross-bars or standards, and having legs to be fitted in said guides When the cross-bars or standards are removed.

10. In a Wagon, a box having guides in its opposite sides, slatted side members having legs fitted in said guides, and gates fitted between said slatted side members.

ll. In a Wagon, a box, side members detachably connected with the box, guides at the opposite ends of the side members, endgates fitted in said guides, cooperating strips secured to the side members and the sides of the box to form additionalguides, and a third gate to enter said last-mentioned guides.

In testimony whereof` I have hereunto set my hand in presence of tWo subscribing Witnesses.

CHARLES A. BABB. r Witnesses:

J. J. BoTTs, W. A. STRICKLER. 

